Various modifications of automobile seat belts have been proposed. Presently, 3-point seat belts are frequently used to restrain the waists and upper bodies of automobile occupants.
In such seat belt units which continuously restrain the body of the occupant in a vehicle from waist to upper body, a tongue is mounted on the end of the belt and one end of the tongue is removably inserted and engaged in a buckle, which is fixed to the vehicle. This buckle comprises a tongue inlet for receipt of the tongue, a fixing means for automatically fixedly engaging the tongue after the tongue has been inserted into the tongue inlet, and an automatic releasing means for releasing the engaged and fixed status of the tongue when necessary.
Normally, when a driver wants to put on his seat belt before starting the car or, if necessary, during driving, the seat belt is pulled out and across the desired portions of the driver's body. Then, the tongue on the end of the seat belt is visually inserted into the tongue inlet and is engaged and fixed by the fixing means.
Although many traffic laws require automobile occupants to wear seat belts, drivers are often seen driving without wearing their seat belts.
One of the reasons for this is that it is often difficult for a driver to put the seat belt on during driving.
In general, the seat belt should be put on before starting the car, but it is often not easy for a driver, especially a fat driver, to back the car out of a garage and onto the road while looking rearwardly of the car when he is wearing his seat belt. In many cases, the driver wants to put the seat belt on after he has driven the car onto the open road. However, due to the difficulties involved in putting the seat belt on while driving, cars are often driven without the seat belts being worn. That is, after the car is driven out to the open road, the driver must be careful of the other running cars and does not have enough time to put his seat belt on. As the result, many drivers drive cars on public roads without wearing their seat belts.
In addition, many drivers who begin driving their cars without wearing their seat belts would like to put their belts on at the first intersection while waiting for the traffic signal to change. Very often, however, there is insufficient time to allow a driver to put his seat belt while waiting at a traffic signal. It is also very difficult to put a seat belt on while watching the road ahead. In many cases, it is necessary for the driver to watch the tongue inlet in order to engage the tongue in the buckle of the seat belt. This is very dangerous.
It is a widely known fact that many drivers have had such experiences. This is also evident from the fact that there are notices near many expressway entrances reminding automobile occupants to wear their seat belts.
Whether it be before starting to drive a car or during driving of the car, it is troublesome and often dangerous to put seat belts on because the driver must watch the tongue inlet to engage the tongue in the buckle of the seat belt. Above all, for professional drivers such as drivers of express delivery services, who frequently get on and off trucks, it is very troublesome to put seat belts on by watching the tongue inlet to engage the tongue in the seat belt buckle.